October 1, 2026 — Cracks on the upper caldera floor of Kaluapele, Kīlauea

Following the seismic swarm and tilt excursion associated with an intrusion over the night of September 30 to October 1, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff undertook a helicopter overflight to assess any changes on the upper caldera floor of Kaluapele and the crater floor of Halemaʻumaʻu. The northern part of the caldera floor of Kaluapele hosts numerous cracks that have been present since the 2018 caldera collapse and some have existed for even longer. During the overflight, no new cracks were observed, and significant widening of the already existing cracks was not apparent. USGS phot by D. Downs.